Watch: Phil Mickelson's 8-iron breaks in midswing at Texas Open

"What the heck" was all Phil Mickelson could say when his 8-iron broke into two pieces during a swing on Thursday.

By John Holmes

PGA.com

Published: Thursday, March 26, 2015 | 6:55 p.m.

Phil Mickelson's day had been challenging enough when he stepped into a fairway bunker about 150 yards away from the 12th green on Thursday at the Valero Texas Open. It went all the way to bizarre when the head of his 8-iron flew off during a sand shot.

"What the heck," Mickelson said after the shot.

Mickelson originally took a different club into the bunker, then made a last-second switch to the 8-iron. His lie was flat, but his feet were well above the ball. He took a full swing – and both clubhead and ball went flying.

Slow-motion replay shows that the club broke right at impact – and you could argue that Mickelson was a little lucky in that the softness of the sand might have kept the head from going any farther than it did, and possibly injuring someone.